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A generic image of NASCAR driver Joey Logano

NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings and scenarios for St Louis race today

NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings and scenarios for St Louis race today

Graham Shaw
A generic image of NASCAR driver Joey Logano

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs land just outside of St Louis later today (Sunday September 7) when the 16 championship hopefuls race off in the Enjoy Illinois 300.

There are a ton of potential scenarios in play at Gateway (3pm ET, USA) as drivers bid for the win and automatic qualification for the Round of 12, while some big names (Joey Logano, yes you) are in danger of a shocking early elimination ahead of next weekend's cutoff at Bristol.

We already have one driver through to the final 12 after Chase Briscoe claimed a brilliant victory at Darlington last weekend.

A chaotic race had a far bigger impact on the standings than anticipated, with reigning champion Logano now sitting below the cut line in 13th, along with Austin Dillon (-8), Alex Bowman (-19) and Josh Berry (-19).

Let's get into the current standings and all of the potential playoff scenarios heading into this afternoon's action at Gateway.

READ MORE: NASCAR Cup Series Race Today: St Louis start time, schedule, TV channel and live stream

NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings ahead of St Louis

PosDriver (No.)Team+/- to Cut Line
1Chase Briscoe (19)Joe Gibbs RacingLocked in (Darlington Win)
2Denny Hamlin (11)Joe Gibbs Racing+43
3Kyle Larson (5)Hendrick Motorsports+26
4Tyler Reddick (45)23XI Racing+35
5Bubba Wallace (23)23XI Racing+25
6William Byron (24)Hendrick Motorsports+25
7Ryan Blaney (12)Team Penske+22
8Ross Chastain (1)Trackhouse Racing+21
9Austin Cindric (2)Team Penske+12
10Christopher Bell (20)Joe Gibbs Racing+11
11Chase Elliott (9)Hendrick Motorsports+9
12Shane Van Gisbergen (88)Trackhouse Racing+3
CUTOFF LINE
13Joey Logano (22)Team Penske-3
14Austin Dillon (3)Richard Childress Racing-8
15Alex Bowman (48)Hendrick Motorsports-19
16Josh Berry (21)Wood Brothers Racing-19

Playoff Scenarios for St Louis today

So to (over)simplify things for newer fans, 16 drivers qualified from the regular season for the playoffs. Now they race over three weekends to cut the field down to 12.

The top 12 drivers in the standings after Bristol next weekend will advance to the Round of 12, and the bottom four will be eliminated.

Of course, the simplest way for any driver to automatically progress is to win a race in this first stage (Darlington, St Louis or Bristol). As we said, Chase Briscoe already did just that.

After this first stage, we get another three-race stage to determine the Round of 8, and then another three to cut the field down to 4.

Those four drivers will then race off in the championship race at Phoenix on Sunday, November 2.

NASCAR St Louis lineup - who is on pole at Gateway?

Qualifying took place on Saturday at Gateway, and it was Denny Hamlin who claimed pole for Joe Gibbs Racing. Logano meanwhile, had another rough day - he starts down in 13th. The full lineup for today’s race looks like this:

Starting Pos Driver (Car No.) Team Qualifying Time / Gap
1Denny Hamlin (11)Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota32.330 secs
2Kyle Larson (5)Hendrick Motorsports Chevy+0.021 secs
3Chase Briscoe (19)Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota+0.067 secs
4Ross Chastain (1)Trackhouse Racing Chevy+0.078 secs
5Ryan Blaney (12)Team Penske Ford+0.102 secs
6William Byron (24)Hendrick Motorsports Chevy+0.137 secs
7Tyler Reddick (45)23XI Racing Toyota+0.171 secs
8Christopher Bell (20)Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota+0.182 secs
9Austin Cindric (2)Team Penske Ford+0.241 secs
10Zane Smith (38)Front Row Motorsports Ford+0.344 secs
11Chris Buescher (17)RFK Racing Ford+0.359 secs
12Josh Berry (21)Wood Brothers Racing Ford+0.368 secs
13Joey Logano (22)Team Penske Ford+0.389 secs
14Bubba Wallace (23)23XI Racing Toyota+0.409 secs
15Austin Dillon (3)Richard Childress Racing Chevy+0.427 secs
16Erik Jones (43)Legacy Motor Club Toyota+0.430 secs
17AJ Allmendinger (16)Kaulig Racing Chevy+0.434 secs
18Shane van Gisbergen (88)Trackhouse Racing Chevy+0.435 secs
19Chase Elliott (9)Hendrick Motorsports Chevy+0.469 secs
20John Hunter Nemechek (42)Legacy Motor Club Toyota+0.522 secs
21Ty Gibbs (54)Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota+0.559 secs
22Kyle Busch (8)Richard Childress Racing Chevy+0.622 secs
23Brad Keselowski (6)RFK Racing Ford+0.627 secs
24Noah Gragson (4)Front Row Motorsports Ford+0.663 secs
25Alex Bowman (48)Hendrick Motorsports Chevy+0.675 secs
26Daniel Suarez (99)Trackhouse Racing Chevy+0.708 secs
27Carson Hocevar (77)Spire Motorsports Chevy+0.803 secs
28Michael McDowell (71)Spire Motorsports Chevy+0.867 secs
29Cole Custer (41)Haas Factory Team Ford+0.871 secs
30Todd Gilliland (34)Front Row Motorsports Ford+0.900 secs
31Justin Haley (7)Spire Motorsports Chevy+0.922 secs
32Ryan Preece (60)RFK Racing Ford+0.952 secs
33Riley Herbst (35)23XI Racing Toyota+1.087 secs
34Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47)HYAK Motorsports Chevy+1.208 secs
35Ty Dillon (10)Kaulig Racing Chevy+1.305 secs
36Cody Ware (51)Rick Ware Racing Ford+1.320 secs

READ MORE: Kyle Larson says Hendrick had 'no shot' at 2025 NASCAR title

GET MORE FROM US: Want more NASCAR news? Readers based in the United States can set GPFans.com as a preferred Google source

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